还珠格格一；Return of the Pearl Princess
by Asters and Asphodels
Summary: Two completely different girls, with different backgrounds, different beliefs, somehow find themselves sworn sisters, and both princesses of the imperial palace. One unknown and by blood, and the other by mere name and a complete twist of fate.
1. Some Officer

Reminder 

紫薇 - _Zi Wei._ 'Myrtle,' 'flower.'

小燕子 - _Xiao Yan Zi._ 'Swallow,' or 'little swallow.'

金锁 - _Jing Suo._ 'A brass lock.'

梁大人 - _Liang Da Ren._ (Administrator Liang)

紫薇 gazed wistfully at the palace from afar, with nothing but her parcel clutched tightly in her hand and her faithful maid close by her side. The wind was blowing a hole in her but she didn't seem to care. Her sorrowful eyes dangerously glistening with tears were fixated on that pavilion, where she could never be. The thick foliage was behind her. It took the pair of them an age to fight through the thickets that had grown along the stone path to get atop this hill so as to get a glimpse of her destination. "We've finally reached Beijing," she said slowly, "but why is it that fate refuses to let me enter the palace?"

"Miss," 金锁 replied, "every day you'd come here, and spend hours staring at the imperial palace. But what good will it do? Those guards, they're everywhere, flooding every entrance to the place. How are you ever going to meet the emperor?" Her face bore the same sorrow, for they both knew how hopeless the sojourn was.

"I know...but what else can I do? We traveled for such a long time to arrive at China's heart, but now that we're here, it seems the entire journey was a joke. What am I going to do now?" From the way she spoke, the way she dressed, everything she did, it was easy to tell she was a delicate girl with a good amount of education and a warm heart. Suddenly finding the courage to smile, she pulled herself together and said, in a reassuring tone, "I won't give up. I can't, not this easily. I promised my mother. I believe the Heavens will look after me, that in the end, everything will fall into place." After her pep talk, she turned to 金锁. "Let's go. Tomorrow, we'll continue looking for that 梁大人 (a minister)."

金锁 assented, and they headed back to the tavern down a barely distinguishable dirt path.

紫薇 could only suppose, as they reached the busy Beijing streets, that luck was with them. A few blocks from the inn, came a sudden pounding of horse hooves. Civilians turned their head from their vegetables and weekly shopping and tables displayed with trinkets. Suddenly, the street was teeming with sentries holding people back so the horsemen had a pathway among the people to gallop by. Approaching was a sedan chair carried by four men with an obviously significant personage within. Very quickly, the air was filled with, "Out of the way, out of the way!" and the buzzing of the puzzled people, exchanging questioning looks and far-fetched rumors.

Her heart pounding with excitement, 紫薇 tugged 金锁 by the hand and shoved her way through the crowd, whilst exclaiming, "金锁, quick. Maybe luck is with us, maybe we can meet this 梁大人, maybe he'll be willing to listen to my story." The pair rushed past a couple of sentries not paying attention and knelt in front of the sedan. 紫薇 held her parcel above her head with both hands. She knew they were wrapped in a brown, ordinary-looking cloth, but what that cloth contained was her life. She also knew that to halt a minister's sedan was considered extremely disrespectful, but all she could think of was her mother on her deathbed, her face pale and clammy, dragging that promise out of her...

One of the men lifting the chair looked at her as if she were a bug on his sleeve. "What do you think you're doing?" he demanded. "Hurry up and get out of the way!"

Biting her lip, she forged ahead as if she hadn't heard. "梁大人! I, 夏紫薇, have something very important to tell you sir! Please, if you could find some time in your schedule to listen to what I have to say." She could feel the crowd's murmuring, and 金锁's large fearful eyes on the sedan chair.

A group of sentries gathered around. "What are you doing? Take them away!" They coarsely grabbed onto the pair and forcefully tugged them from the middle of the street. "Come on, let's go!" Two were holding tightly onto each of her arm and roughly dragged her up from the ground. She felt another pull at her sleeve and a fourth yelling something obscure. Somewhere nearby, she could hear 金锁's repetitive, 'miss,' 'miss.'

The entire day suddenly felt like a dream. 紫薇 struggled in their grips, screaming, "梁大人! 梁大人! We've been to your headquarters a hundred times, but you never leave your doorstep! Whoever's always there, telling us he'll inform you doesn't ever meet his word. The days are going by faster and faster, and we're running out of money. You don't understand. 梁大人!"

One of the sentries took the time to notify her, "Our minister's been organizing his son's wedding, which is tomorrow. He's incredibly busy, so how do you expect him to find time to worry about your business? He's not exactly as selfless and open-hearted as you might hope. You're better off with another minister."

But she couldn't hear a word of what he said. Despite all the staring, a guard yanking ferociously at her left arm and 金锁 screaming with her by her side, all she had eyes for was that sedan chair. She gave a final yell, "梁大人! If I hadn't tried everything else, I wouldn't have disrupted this out-going. I know you're in there, please, answer me me!"

"Go away already," said another guard, spear in hand. But she stared back valiantly, all dangers forgotten. Why couldn't they see how desperate she was? Why wouldn't the minister just let her speak to him? "梁大人, you're supposed to serve the people, that's your duty! How can you turn me away like this? You don't look after us citizens, you're wrapped up in your personal life. Don't tell me the only thing you care about is your son's marriage..?"

These words seemed to strike a nerve. The drapes of the sedan rippled and for a split second, 紫薇 had hope. Until she saw that the sedan revealed nothing but an angry and aggravated 梁大人. "Where did these impudent commoners come from?" he roared at his guards. "Spitting insults, telling lies." He took one look at her and 金锁, and exclaimed with a wave of his hand, "Go away, far away."

Despite the blatant disrespect, 紫薇 said, "Please, 梁大人. Listen to my story and you won't regret it. I swear it. Just give me a little time; five minutes would be enough."

"Who has time to go around hearing stories? I have better things to do." He turned to his men. "Go. Back to the manor."

"梁大人!" But they carried on without a word, side-stepping her, and she knew as she melted back in the crowd that it would be no use. "What's wrong with him?" 金锁 exclaimed, mourning with her mistress. "Just because of a wedding, he can abandon his work for a month. And you saw his attitude toward us today. He doesn't care at all. Why don't we try someone else? In Beijing, I'm sure there are other officials. We just have to find them."

紫薇 looked as though she was truly considering it. 金锁 was every bit right. They had no chance if they were putting all of their hope on 梁大人. But then her eyes lit him, not with hope, or joy, but a triumph, a fierce determination. "His son is getting married tomorrow," she said in a steely voice. "There's going to be a grand wedding. He can't turn away his guests on such a big day, can he?"

* * *

The moon was a thin sliver of milky white that night, as it poured all its strength down on a rich family's manor. All was still, not even eunuchs wandered about, and not even crickets seemed to make a sound. A shadow flickered somewhere, with a strange powerful and dreadfully loud gust of wind that could only be created by someone with experience in martial arts. It is very apparent that whoever it is is not supposed to be there. Armed with a large empty sack and a mischievous smile, 小燕子 poked her head out from the bushes she landed behind, and peered at her surroundings. A few yards away was a small building, obviously one of the 程's (Chengs') rooms. Contemplating for a split-second, she leaped out from her previous hiding place so she was right next to it. 

_That **梁贪官**'s got a big wedding festival tomorrow. I'll bet the unlucky bride has a lot of dowry stored in her parents' house. Those rich types won't ever need it. But we do. If I could just sneak a few pearl necklaces or silver coins, they wouldn't even know it's missing._

Squatting down with another impish grin of pride and anticipation, she pressed her ear to the thin paper that covered these walls so as to make sure no one was awake. Very carefully, she poked a small hole with her index finger so she could fit her eye through.

What 小燕子 saw inside was a room that could make her cry with joy. The softest lime green curtains framed the bed, where a pink and white cotton quilt lay folded, with floral patterns all over and a mattress as thick as her head. Dark polished wood gleamed from the armchair, table, and armoire, and a devastatingly elegant oil lamp. The bride-to-be was sitting on her bed with clothes the same color as her drapes. An older woman - who must have been her mother - was by her side with a hankerchief, one arm around her and saying, "I already know how much you detest the idea of this marriage, but it's too late to back out now you've gone this far." Now that 小燕子 thought about it, the bride did look quite unhappy. But who could blame her? Those 梁s were the scum of the earth. "Now why don't you get a good night's sleep. They'll be here to pick you up in the morning."

As the mother tucked the girl in bed and left with her oil lamp, 小燕子 smiled wistfully. Sometimes, she wished she had a mother too. It wasn't a thing she'd often dwell on, but the thought creeps up unexpectedly in the littlest of reminders, from watching someone walking the streets with their parents in tow to a begging girl asking around for a slice of bread. _Focus_, she told herself. _You're here for the silver, and the jewels that can get silver._

She peered back into the room, and met a sight that drained all color from her face. Her eyes wide, without pausing for a second to think, she yelled, "Somebody come quick, the bride's about to hang herself!" and leapt in, splintering the wood and tearing the papyrus, crashing down into the room._  
_

**梁贪官** - Liang Tan Guan. '梁' is the man's last name, and '贪' means (loosely) greedy. So in a nutshell, '梁贪官' is an unflattering nickname the citizens have given 梁大人 for his selfishness.


	2. Wedding Crashers

**xXHyuugaSakuraXx - Heheh, glad you think so! By English name, what do you mean? I just tried to find the definition, unless whoever made the English version gave her a different name? o.o**

Reminder 

紫薇 - _Zi Wei._ 'Myrtle,' 'flower.'

小燕子 - _Xiao Yan Zi._ 'Swallow,' or 'little swallow.

金锁 - _Jing Suo._ 'A brass lock.

梁大人 - _Liang Da Ren._ (Administrator Liang)

紫薇 gazed up at the sign hanging above the main entrance. People were filing in by the dozens, toward the tables covered in red cloth, festive music loudly resounding. In all her life 紫薇 had never done something quite so daring. Leaving home after her mother's death was a large step for her, but she'd never, even then, thought that half a year later, she'd be dressed up in men's wear, trying to crash a wedding. She stood by the door, watching as 梁大人 welcomed everyone in with a greeting. 金锁, sensing her mistress' hesitation, squeezed her arm slightly, and the two headed inside.

梁大人 had dressed all his men in crimson, and someone had hung scarlet drapes over the garden. The traditional red lanterns were in every corner, and in clusters were the hired musicians. People sat at circular tables, talking, laughing, eating. Yet 紫薇 felt nervous. She anxiously searched the crowd for 梁大人, then, when the sun's glare was too fierce, decided he was still outside. She also feared her reserved appearance may point her out as a female, or that someone would come up to her and offer her wine. Finally, she saw the man head in, and started toward him, only to be blocked by a few scarlet-donning eunuchs carrying a heavy wooden case. She turned at the sound of cheers erupting from the tables and saw the groom's mother walking out with the soon-to-be married couple.

Stretching her mouth awkwardly, her eyes downcast, she could only find a seat and watch the bride and groom kneel down in front of their guests, their parents, each other, etc. In Ancient China, it was tradition for the bride to wear a piece of cloth over her head until they reached the bed chamber, and the groom lifted it to see his bride's face. Little did anyone know, that had been the key to the bride's escape.

* * *

小燕子 glanced down at the ground she was walking on, thinking that the lady she couldn't even see the face of had better be leading her into a quiet secluded room because her neck was starting to get a crick in it. She furrowed her brow repeatedly and impatiently, trying to keep from yanking her arm away, or snatching the red thing off of her face. Secretly, 小燕子 was glad she wasn't ever getting married, and that even if she was, the courtyard wouldn't have the money or the care to go through with these rules. A marriage was supposed to be for the couple's happiness, wasn't it? So why did the bride have to suffer the fear of stumbling into furniture for half a day while the guests got to sit down and enjoy themselves?

She heard a door open, and then the music distancing. This experience was definitely improving her hearing abilities. 小燕子 found herself wondering how she'd been dragged into this again. "Sit down, mistress," came a voice next to her and so she sat. Thankfully, this was a room. "Congratulations, this _is_ a day to celebrate." 小燕子 could tell from the voice that the woman was smiling. "I have some soup here brought by the maids. It's very light. In a while, the groom's going to - "

"Go back out."

"But - " From this tone, 小燕子 knew she was startled.

"Go on," she said. "I want to be alone for a bit." Having nothing else to say, the faceless woman headed out and closed the door, therefore ending the world of laughter and dim music.

For the first time that day, she smiled. Looking up to eternal red, crinkling her eyes, she blew, very softly. Then, putting some force into it, again, and she was creating her own whirlwind. One last time, and the square of bright cloth fell to the ground. Swallow's eyes were the largest one could imagine, her lips had been painted a dark red. A silver-blue headpiece was the blatant cause of her aching neck, and wisps of hair on her thin fringe curled ever so slightly. What truly captures was the smile on her face, full of joy, and mischief. And not without reason.

She bounded up quickly, towards the door, and opened it a crack to check any pass byers. Of the important people none were close enough to be of a threat as of yet. Closing the door, she turned to the rest of the room, practiced eyes scanning it for valuables. First, the dowry. She started toward the wooden cases, but stopped at the table, spotting a bowl of grapes. Shrugging, she popped one in her mouth. Then, she rolled up her sleeves, and made to remove that spiky headpiece and laid it down on the table. Suddenly, she felt much better. She took the bottle of wine, peered into it as if she could actually see something, then poured it straight into her mouth. It wasn't as if anyone who'd care could see. Laying down the bottle, she plucked another grape from the bowl, and stood on a chair, regarding the large tapestry with the word '**喜**' as if trying to pretend she were literate.

By the tapestry, were twin candle holders that looked like they were made from gold. She grabbed them and put them down on the table. As if remembering where she was, she jumped down from her perch and opened up one of the boxes from the dowry. "Woah," she couldn't help but utter, and it sounded strange in the near silent room. She scooped the necklaces into her hand. There was jade and pearl and silver chains and various pendants all tangled in her palm. She darted by a larger box, finding silver chunks lying neatly in rows. "Now all the starving and kneeling has paid off." She grabbed a red drape, easily five times the size of the one that had been on her head, and laid it on the floor...

* * *

梁大人, oblivious to the mayhem in his very own manor, was still out, a smile pasted on his face, thanking a few people repeatedly congratulating him, greeting a couple extremely well-respected people of the hierarchy, encouraging everyone to eat and drink. 紫薇, slightly exasperated, made her way to the man for the fourth time that day, 金锁 with a pleading expression by her side. "梁大人," she started. "梁大人."

He looked her over with a shadow of a frown. "You are...?"

"I'm, I'm 夏紫薇. I have something to speak to you about..Could we go somewhere quieter, somewhere else?"

"Somewhere else?" 梁大人 repeated slowly. "Whatever for?"

As 紫薇 made to reply, he suddenly spotted another 大人, the smile once again on his face. 紫薇 bit her lip, left behind, as she began to lose heart.

* * *

"Candles, necklaces, silk," she muttered to herself. An assortment of objects lay on the red fabric. Feeling satisfied, she finally tied everything together, got up from the floor, and weighed it in her hand. Swinging the sack behind her and tying it once again, this time to her neck, she tested herself by walking a few steps. "This is actually pretty heavy."

Not thinking much of it, she stepped onto one of the chairs, and opened up a window. Just at that moment the no longer faceless woman walked in backwards, a tray in her hands. Turning slowly and seeing 小燕子, she froze as the tray dropped from her hands. 小燕子 in that position, about to leap out of the open window, her wide eyes, and the enormous bulk on her back said everything. "Thief, thief! Guards!"

Having no time to pause and roll her eyes, or throw something at the irate woman, 小燕子 scrambled out of the room, trying to get the shrieks out of her head. Faced with another building, she **flew** up to the top. But something went wrong that probably had to do with her package on her back and instead, she slipped. Grabbing onto a few tiles with her fingernails for dear life, she tried with all her might to haul herself up. No luck. She fell back down on her 'dowry' and what she suspected was a candle holder jabbed sharply into her back. "What's wrong with me today? I can't even get over a ten foot wall."

Just as she prepared herself to try again, she heard a stampede of people rushing down the small paved road. "Don't let her get away!" She turned and saw about a dozen of the guards that were called for carrying everything from sticks to spears to poles to rocks. As soon as the color drained from her face, she bolted in the other direction.

**喜 **- This word means 'happiness,' 'delight,' and in China, has been associated with weddings, which is why it's been painted all over in gold on wedding days.

**'Flew'** - In dramas, to make things more excited, those well-practiced in martial arts can leap from and up to very high places, from trees to rooftops to  
staircases. In China, anyway. Although 'flew' may have been overdramatizing it a bit...


	3. The Scarlet Thief

**xXHyuugaSakuraXx - Ah, all right, then. Got it now. **

Reminder 

紫薇 - _Zi Wei._ 'Myrtle,' 'flower.'

小燕子 - _Xiao Yan Zi._ 'Swallow,' or 'little swallow.'

金锁 - _Jin Suo._ 'A brass lock.'

梁大人 - _Liang Da Ren._ (Administrator Liang)

Liang Da Ren finally found his way indoors, yet he seemed as busy as always. Having no other choice, Zi Wei and Jin Suo could only trail after him, incoherent murmurs of 'Liang Da Ren' on their lips. Nearly seething, which is most unlike Zi Wei, she grabbed his arm and said, in a louder voice, "Liang Da Ren."

Her turned to her as though she were some fan of his he couldn't get rid of. "You - "

"I go all the way to your office and you ignore me. I halt your sedan in the middle of the street and you ignore me. Now, I can't even talk to you in your own house for more than ten seconds. Do you care about the people at all?"

"What kind of a girl are you?" he asked, looking her up and down, his nose wrinkled in distaste. "What are you doing dressed like that? All the girls are in the courtyard. Why don't you go play with them instead of hanging around here? Can't you see I'm busy?"

Zi Wei stared defiantly back at him. "We just met yesterday, don't tell me you've forgotten. It's me, I'm the one who was at your sedan."

He gave her a cold look saying that he definitely did remember her. "What are you - " he sputtered, but was interrupted by a red blur tumbling into the room, splintering wood and ripping papyrus.

* * *

She sprinted as fast as she could with the weight on her neck, thinking randomly that the _real_ bride-to-be would have been in a lot of pain if she went through with her suicide plan. Hiding in a crack between a few slabs of stone (compliments on the Liangs' decor, she waited until the fifteen to twenty men passed her and crept out. Smiling and dusting her hands, she set on her way. Before she'd walked five feet, another group had spotted her and she scrambled to get out of there, fast. This time clamoring onto a rock, hoping to slow the adversary down. There were more than she'd thought, and they were everywhere.

Seeing a near solid semi-circle forming around her, she bit her lip, turned to the sitting room, and gritting her teeth, crashed into the wood. Ignoring the gasps and screams as well as the pulsing in her own head, Swallow considered her options. The future was not bright. As the guards burst through the actual doors, she prepared herself to fight. As the first few charged at her, she spun, kicking at two, then went over a table, narrowly missing a blow that landed on the plates and silver trays. As she darted toward a back door, it opened, and in flooded more people, including that woman from the beginning. Suddenly, spears were everywhere, and most of them were pointed at Swallow.

Liang Da Ren had an accusing finger directed at her, and she could almost see smoke coming out of his ears. "What - what is this all about?"

The red lady stepped forward and said in a shrill, near hysterical voice, "The bride is missing, she's not the Cheng girl. She's a thief!"

Liang Da Ren narrowed his eyes. "She's not the Cheng girl?" he repeated. "Then who is she? Where did she come from?"

"I don't know," she replied tearfully. "I just know that when I walked in, she was wearing the bridal gown, stealing from the dowry!"

The groom spoke up. "What are you all doing, just standing there? Catch the thief, quick!"

Swallow's protuberant eyes had been darting to and fro as they discussed her whereabouts. At this, she opened her mouth. "None of you come near me, or I swear you'll regret it."

"Catch her!" Liang Da Ren seconded his son. "If you let her escape, you're as good as dead."

Apparently more fearful of their master than a stranger burglar, the guards took a few steps forward. By instinct, Swallow dived under a table for initial cover, then, kicking, propelled it upward to hopefully create a diversion. At this time she catches a glimpse of Zi Wei and Jin Suo, and what astounded them the most was that she even had a smile on her face. Forced to hit a few people and break some vases and china, Swallow's only hope was to get in to the open air. But every time she started forward, people were in her path. Finally, she climbed up onto another table by the back wall, grabbed a few bronze, heavy-looking objects, and hurled them into the din. Jumping down, she threw a few more punches, still intent on that main entrance/exit.

As she bounded forward, Liang Da Ren yelled, "Close the doors!" Unfortunate as her timing was, Swallow found _she'd_ gotten out all right. But the red sack tied to her had not. Her mouth slightly ajar, she struggled to free herself, but the doors seemed to be sealed shut. And when it opened, there would be a few dozen angry guards plus one administrator waiting for her. As soon as it did, she gathered her strength, and sprinted for all she was worth, knowing those spears weren't far behind. There were still a good many guests outside, many of which seemed very eager to block her path. Finding the old tricks working the best, Swallow climbed onto a table again, oblivious to the plates she tipped over. By then, everyone was staring at her, which wasn't supposed to be how a thief worked.

One of the guards prodded her back with a staff, and she toppled over backwards, the dishes on the table sliding off with her. Hurriedly, she headed under it again, as if she were little and the red tablecloth could hide her from them. As she tried to stand, she felt people trying to pry the table off of her, resulting in a series of painful clangs on her skull. She spun, gripping the opposite sides with both hands, thinking to make a mock shield. After the screams and the table colliding with her cranium were beginning to give her headache, she tossed the table to one side, unable to see under it so as to make sure not to harm anyone. Somersaulting in midair, she landed on what she hoped was the last table. Quickly taking the sack off her back, she swung it, and its entire contents fell to the ground. A few more people screamed, some cheered, and nearly all were bending over, picking up whatever they could.

"Liang Tan Guan's got everything in the manor!" Swallow yelled. "He got it all from the citizens! Come on everyone, take it, it's all yours, hurry, before it's gone!" That smile never leaving her face, she looked up at the ribbons tied from roof to roof. One of them directly leading to the manor's main entrance. She glanced down at everyone, then the ribbons. It _looked_ sturdy enough...

* * *

Back in the safe streets of Beijing, Zi Wei and Jin Suo were musing over the earlier wedding with a light-hearted and still mildly stunned approach. "Today is definitely going to go down as one of the most memorable in my mind. In a way, that flying thief had helped us take out some of our revenge on the Liang family."

"You've got to have guts to try and pull off a scheme like that," Jin Suo stated. "It's such a shame that her fighting skills aren't more practiced. She might not have had to go home empty-handed."

"Returning empty-handed is nothing to complain about. Just as long as the authorities don't catch up to her." Suddenly, Zi Wei heard a whisper of voices, as if someone were yelling in the background. She turned behind her, and saw that guards were pooling into the street. "Have you seen a girl in red?" was on all of their lips. She exchanged looks with Jin Suo and moved ahead. Before they'd gone too far, a hand was on Zi Wei's shoulder, causing her to jump in surprise.

"Have you seen a girl wearing red?" She shook her head repeatedly and the sentry shoved her onto a cylinder-like basket of lettuce. The basket, however, made a sound. "Aie!" Zi Wei stifled a gasp and leaped away from it, to see that girl from the wedding peeking out, her hair covered in greens, putting a finger to her mouth, pleading silence. A slight frown on her face, Zi Wei nodded, and, glancing around, sat down on the basket. As the crowd thinned and the guards disappeared, Zi Wei slowly let herself rise.

"You can come out now."

Looking far from grateful, the girl stood up, rubbing the top of her head gingerly. "You didn't have to panic like that. I just didn't want you to give me away. After all this head has been through today, just watch me have bad luck the rest of this year."

Jin Suo, always shielding her mistress, said indignantly, "Hey, what's wrong with you? If it weren't for us, you'd be hauled off back to that manor by now."

A cheeky smile dancing on her lips, the girl replied, "Yes, of course. Thank you two ladies for saving my life," and issued a mocking bow. "That better?"

Zi Wei's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "How do you know we're female?"

"Back at the manor, I saw right away that you two were girls in disguise as men." She said 'back at the manor,' in a tone that made you think she owned it. "If there's any advice I can give you, it's to stop doing that. Look at the pair of you, timid and thin, not a single callous on your fingers. You couldn't fool anyone." She then peels of the red from the wedding and tucks the bundle under her arm. Zi Wei wasn't much surprised to see that she had a second layer of common clothing under it. "All right then. I've got to get going."

"Wait!" Something occurred to her just then. "Let me ask you. Where'd you hide the actual bride?"

Her large eyes shifting from side to side, the girl said, "About that...I don't think it's necessary for you to know." She started off again.

"You posed as the bride, stole their dowry, and ruined the entire wedding. Don't you know that that's against the law? I think it's better if you hurry up and free the girl."

"Me? Against the law?" she scoffed, frown lines appearing on her brows as well. "I'm practically legend, I'm a heroine! The ones against the law are the Liangs, father and son." She inched closer, as if about to reveal a secret. "You aren't from around here, are you?" The two girls nodded. "I knew it! Let me tell you something. That Liang family is rotten to the core. They see a girl who looks pretty, don't even think twice about if she'd already had arrangements, or didn't want to, but had to make her marry."

"How do you know?" Zi Wei asked incredulously.

"She told me personally last night, when I was taking a walk by their manor. Thank god I was there when I was, otherwise, she'd have hanged herself!"

"Really?"

"What would I lie to you for? Can I go now?"

"Wait!" Zi Wei said yet again. "Then...where is she right now?"


End file.
